Republicans Battle College Dems, Hostile Crowd, in Parliamentary Debate

Max Schwartzman, FL - Editor-in-Chief

Debaters Colin Sletcha, Elizabeth Cummings, and Matthew Wong

On Oct. 29, the George Washington University College Republicans and College Democrats faced off in a parliamentary-style debate hosted by the Washington Union Debate Society. The forum, moderated by the society’s presidents, opened with calls for free and open discourse – and ended in a fiery political showdown.

The motion before the house was simple yet charged: “This House has no confidence in the Trump administration.” During the entire 90 minute debate, the GW College Republicans – represented by Colin Slechta, Elizabeth Cummings, and Matthew Wong – delivered a powerful and policy-focused defense of President Trump’s record. From the beginning, the Republican team demonstrated command of the facts and stayed composed under pressure.

Freshman Colin Slechta, opening for the opposition, cut directly to the heart of the night’s question when the Democrats brought up mass deportations, claiming they were harmful to the illegal immigrants coming to the United States.

“America should not govern based on what’s best for the people of Guatemala or Honduras – that’s the job of Guatemala and Honduras,” Slechta said. “America’s founding principle is that it is governed of, by, and for the American people.”

Slechta’s remarks underscored the administration’s focus on sovereignty and border security, framing immigration not as an act of cruelty, but as a national responsibility.

Sletcha argued in support of the administration's trade policy, emphasizing that “President Trump’s trade policy is based on one fundamental first principle; the wealth of a nation stems from what it manufactures.” 

Freshman Elizabeth Cummings followed with a forceful yet composed argument emphasizing how the Trump administration’s foreign policy fostered stability in some of the world’s most volatile regions.

“These are all bipartisanly recognized wins,” Cummings said, citing recent progress between Israel and Palestine and de-escalation between India and Pakistan. “The turbulence left behind seems to be subsiding, and the world seems to have entered an era of peace.”

Cummings also spoke on domestic security, praising the administration’s use of the National Guard to prevent violent crime in major cities.

“It is the constitutional duty of the federal government to step in and intervene for the safety of American citizens when their state and local government refuse to do so,” Cummings stated. “Had there been a National Guard member on [the train Iryna Zurutzka was murdered on], such as in D.C., the event almost certainly would not have occurred.”

Cummings went on to tie all the administration’s achievements back to democratic legitimacy: “This administration represents the fulfillment of the will of the American people – the 77 million people who in 2024 cast their ballot for Donald Trump and his policies. After all, that is the essence of democracy: a government responsive to the will of the people.”

Closing for the Republicans, Matthew Wong brought a finalizing perspective, highlighting the administration’s achievements in enforcing the rule of law and defending American interests.

“It is through these tangible successes,” Wong said, “that the administration demonstrates it is more than capable of promoting American interests, protecting the American people, and bringing benefits back to America.”

Wong reminded the audience that proper law enforcement is a government’s duty, not a partisan issue:

“We in the Opposition, alongside the majority of Americans, hold that the proper enforcement of the law is not only morally just but integral for the operation of a society based on the principle of the Rule of Law,” Wong explained.

Wong closed the debate, highlighting the Democrats' contrasting inflammatory rhetoric with the Republicans' emphasis on objective policy implications:

“With all the sound and fury the Proposition has made, they have ultimately shown this House nothing to actually warrant a vote of no confidence.”

However, it wasn’t just the Democrats that the Republicans found themselves battling. The crowd, made up mostly of Democrats, had generally chosen their side before the debate began, leading to some moments of hostility and one-sided questions from the supposedly neutral audience-member floor speakers.

College Republican member Parker Malphrus was one of the audience-member speakers who was given the platform during the debate. During his speech, he gave the memorable line of “y’all need to educate yourselves,” referencing comments made by the Democrats throughout the night – with the line later going viral on campus social media app, Fizz.

While the College Democrats came prepared with critiques, much of their energy focused on rhetoric rather than policy, the Republicans’ calm and factual responses contrasted sharply with the opposition’s repeated appeals to emotion – an imbalance that did not go unnoticed. Even as the debate grew heated, the Republican team maintained composure and focused on the facts.

As the 90 minutes drew to a close, the energy in the room said enough about the results. The Republican team didn’t just defend a record; they reminded students why conviction and preparation still matter in the battle of ideas.